The Other Guys: The Tale of Team Six
by whovian18
Summary: Everyone knows Teams Seven, Eight and Ten, but what about their classmates? What if there was another team that joined the ranks of the Rookies? Three children, different backgrounds, different personalities. This is the untold story of Konoha's Team Six. Rated T for language and violence later on.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One: It's Gonna Be a Great Day, by Geoff Smith

The first rays of the sunrise peeked over the treetops, bathing the quiet streets and buildings of Konohagakure in pale orange light. A single beam fell on a certain window, where a 12-year-old girl sat happily observing. The feeble morning light lit her delicate features and gave her pale blonde hair an ethereal glow. Aya sighed happily, soaking in the warmth. 'Another beautiful day in the making,' she thought. Pushing away from the windowsill, she turned to face her tiny bedroom. Her gaze fell on the sleeping Kunming wolfdog lying in the middle of the floor, and a fond smile lifted her lips. 'Oh, Michi, you're not going to be able to fit in here when you're older.' The female dog was still a puppy by ninken standards, but the room was so small, and she so fluffy, that she still took up about half of the purple rug. Standing up from the window seat, Aya lifted her arms over her head in a stretch, popping a few joints in the process. The loud cracks awoke the canine, which gave a toothy yawn and shot her human companion a still-sleepy look.

"You call that a stretch?" she challenged. "Watch and learn." She arched her back, and a chorus of pops and snaps filled the air, making the girl giggle. She raised one hand in surrender, while the other made a few signals. 'Okay,' they said, 'you win.'

"Hmph," Michi grunted. "You're always so willing to concede first. At least put up some sort of fight."

'Well,' the girl signed, expression suddenly sad, 'when you can't talk, it's hard to protest.'

The hound huffed and rubbed her nose against Aya's hand. "Hey, no brooding. It doesn't suit you. Come on, gimme a smile." She growled a little at the subsequent weak attempt. "Seriously? You can do better than that." She nuzzled the girl's ribs, making her giggle and squirm to escape the tickling. She grinned wolfishly when the smile was more genuine. "There, that wasn't so hard, was it?"

Aya shook her head. No, it really was not; it just wasn't in her nature to frown anyway. She turned her head at the sound of familiar footsteps passing by her door. 'Hiro is awake,' she signed to her partner.

Michi nodded and sniffed the air. "Mana is making breakfast." She looked at the girl. "She'll come looking for you soon."

Aya nodded and dressed for the day. The bandages came first; ankles to knees, mid-thigh to hip, and finally ribs and all the way to mid-bicep. Her aunt always asked why she wore so many wrappings, but honestly, it just made the girl feel more ninja-like and less exposed. She donned her light purple zip-up vest and knee-length, split skirt and then made for the door. 'Guess we'll go then. It is my first day as a Genin, so I should eat a nice, healthy breakfast.'

"You always eat healthy. Seriously, most kids have a giant sweet tooth, but you're a health nut!" The human gave a smile, showing off her pearly whites. 'Sugar rots your teeth.' Michi snorted. "Yes, well, at least at your funeral people will be able to say you had nice teeth." The blonde girl giggled.

Half an hour later, the two were saying their goodbyes. "Have a good day, sweetie," the girl's aunt said, handing her a bento. Aya just nodded and smiled.

"Don't worry Hiroshi-san. I'll make sure she stays out of trouble," the canine promised.

The brown-haired woman smiled. "Thank you, Michi. I know you'll take care of her." With one last hug, girl and dog departed for the Academy. 'Do you think I'll be a good ninja?' the former asked, 'voicing' her inner fear. Michi grinned. "Girl, we'll hit them so hard they won't have time to say otherwise." Aya gave another giggle and ran a hand through the dog's tan and black fur in silent gratitude.

*IN KONOHA'S CIVILIAN DISTRICT*

BEEP. BEEP. BEE-. Juro quickly slammed a hand down on the alarm clock. He shot a glance at the two other beds in the room, letting out a small sigh of relief when his brothers did not move. The last thing he needed today was Nagano and Hitoko loudly complaining to the entire household that they did not get enough sleep, again. Honestly, the twins could wake up the dead with their voices. Being as quiet as possible, the twelve-year-old gathered up the brown t-shirt, black pants, and wrappings he needed for the day and crept out of the room. The bathroom across the hall was empty at this hour; no one fighting for counter space or shoving others aside to look in the tiny wall mirror to make sure their hair was perfectly in place. He loved his older brothers, sure he did; but did all nine of them have to be drama kings? At least Kito and Giichi didn't live at home anymore. He indulged in a rare eye roll. 'Not that it makes it any less crowded around here,' he thought, lip twisted in the barest hint of a scowl.

One five-minute shower later, Juro emerged from the bathroom, dark auburn hair dripping, to be greeted by the faint smell of bacon drifting up the stairs. He descended swiftly, careful to avoid the creaky fifth step, and walked left into the kitchen. "Ohayo, otou-san, okaa-san," he murmured. His mother, Hayashi Mei, looked up from the stove, smiled and replied, "Ohayo, Juro-kun." His father, Hito, sitting at the table, merely grunted and turned the page of his newspaper. The boy fought the urge to sigh; the man never seemed to bother with words anymore. It was just grunts and such now.

"Juro-kun, you have excellent timing. I just finished the bacon." His mother moved to set a steaming plate down on the table amidst the other dishes already in place. "Why don't you sit down?"

"Hai," he conceded and made for the chair that was his usual spot. He heard shuffling behind him, but chose to pretend ignorance.

"KYAAAAA!" a high-pitched voice screamed and Juro felt a large mass collide with his back. He stood firm against the onslaught and turned his head, faking surprise.

"Who's there?" he questioned.

"It's me, nii-san!" his sister cried, wrapping thin arms around his neck. "Did I sneak up good this time?"

"Oh yes, very much so," he nodded with conviction. "I definitely did not expect the attack from behind."

"Yatta!" the little girl cried. "I snuck up on a ninja!"

Juro's face softened into a small smile. "Aa, you did. A very good job, Naiya-chan. But you know what you forgot?"

Her little mouth puckered in confusion. "What, nii-san?"

He grinned. "Never sneak up on a ninja!" He grabbed one of her legs and swung her, upside down, off of his back, then brought her upright in front of him and tickled her sides. She giggled and tried to escape but he held her fast.

"Oh, Juro-kun, please don't swing her around like that!" his mother fretted. "You know it scares me to death when you do that. And Naiya-chan, please go wake the rest of your brothers and tell them that breakfast is ready, if the noise hasn't already woken them."

"Gomen, okaa-san," the boy apologized, repressing a sigh. He set Naiya down, then took a seat and helped himself to some food while the five-year-old zipped out of the room. As he ate, he could hear her voice screeching to the others upstairs, followed by several loud, masculine groans and thumping sounds.

"Juro-kun, don't eat so fast, you'll get sick."

"I'm fine, okaa-san. I want to finish before the stampede arrives." His mother tsk-ed but didn't argue, and went about setting plates at each of the empty places. After finishing his food, Juro took his plate to the sink and then went to the refrigerator to grab the lunch bento he had made up the night before.

"Oh, are you leaving already?" Mei asked. "But don't you want to say goodbye to your brothers?"

"Iie, they won't mind. I'll just take up space and make it more crowded."

"Well, if you're sure…" she trailed off, turning away. "Have a good day, sweetheart."

"Arigatou, okaa-san," he murmured back. "Sayonara, otou-san." His father only grunted again. Just as Juro was leaving the kitchen, his brothers came barreling down the stairs.

"Hey, little Juro-chan's off to ninja school!" Sento cried. At 17, he was the oldest child still living at home, and he felt the need to patronize every single one of the younger kids.

"Don't let the other kiddies kill ya!" the 16-year-old triplets, Yuu, Miyumo and Kento called out, cackling in perfect sync. It annoyed the hell out of the boy when they did that, but he remained impassive as always.

"You better clean the bedroom when you get home," the twins warned, "or you'll regret it!" Juro nearly broke his apathetic façade to scoff at their empty threat; a Genin he may be, but he could beat those two up any day of the week, they were so much weaker than him.

The last remaining brother, Saito, actually stopped in front of him. They met each other's eyes, Juro's dark green to Saito's chocolate brown. "Be careful out there," the older one said, placing a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. Juro got along with Saito the best out of his brothers. At 14, he was the closest in age to himself, other than the 13-year-old twins, and he was much mellower and less egotistical than the others. Juro offered him a half-smile. "I will," he assured. Saito nodded once and entered the kitchen.

"NII-CHAN!" Naiya yelled as she came rushing down the stairs. She took a flying leap into the boy's arms. "When will you be back from being a ninja?"

"Probably not until later tonight. I might have missions to do and stuff." He smiled at her cute pout. "I promise I'll play with you when I get back though."

"Okay!" she said, instantly cheered. Wriggling down, she called out a good-bye before dashing into the chaos in the other room. Juro dropped his smile and suppressed a sigh, then made for the front door. He looked down at the lone pair of blue shinobi sandals lined up among the brown and black civilian shoes. 'Another reminder of how much I don't fit in with my family.' He shook his head free of the damning thoughts. 'Iie. I'm going to prove to them that becoming a shinobi wasn't a mistake. I'll be the one laughing someday.' He pulled on the sandals over his leg bandages, then took his brand-new hitai-ate out of his pocket and tied it around his neck. 'I'm going to be the best there is,' he thought in determination, then pulled open the door and walked away.

*IN ANOTHER PART OF KONOHA*

"Wake up! You're going to be late!" Miyuki groaned at her grandmother's screechy, warbly voice. She glanced at her clock and moaned louder. 'Kuso! It's too early for this!' A series of sharp taps on the door had her pulling the blanket over her mussed black hair. "Miyuki, you have to get up! Do you want to be late on your first day as a Genin?" The 12-year-old reluctantly dragged herself out of bed and across the room. She fixed a halfway-pleasant smile on her face before opening the door to confront the short, wrinkled figure on the other side.

"Of course not, obaa-chan," she said in as docile a way as she could manage, which for her wasn't much. "I would hate to miss out on such an important day as this."

The old lady stared at the younger female with sharp, charcoal-colored eyes. If she caught the overly-sweet tone of voice, as Miyuki was sure she did, then she did not call her out on it. "Breakfast is waiting in the kitchen," she announced. "You only have 20 minutes until the school bell rings, so I suggest you hurry." The girl only bowed her head and continued smiling until the woman walked away. It was only after she closed the door that she dropped the expression, suppressing the urge to sigh in annoyance.

"Stuffy old biddy," she mumbled as she dragged her hair back into its customary messy ponytail, letting her long bangs frame her face. Seventeen minutes later she was out the door, with a hasty goodbye to her grandmother and a lunch bento clutched in one hand. Two more minutes saw her at the doors of Konoha's Ninja Academy. 'Sometimes it's nice living a block away from school,' she thought.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two: Why can't we be friends, by Smash Mouth

**Miyuki**

When Miyuki walked into the classroom, the clock said it was one minute before the bell was set to ring. Iruka-sensei looked up and gave her a disapproving frown. The girl just rolled her black eyes and adjusted the hitai-ate tied around her waist. She didn't really see what he was so irked about. Sure, it was the students' last official day in the Academy, but she had been much later to class before. At least she was here before the bell. She stuck her tongue out at the man in defiance and then looked around for an open seat. All of the spots in the back row, her preferred choices, were taken much to her annoyance. That stupid Ino chick had taken her favorite seat, yapping her head off to Shikamaru, one of the only decent guys in the class in Miyuki's opinion. 'Bitch,' she thought. 'She probably only sat there because there were no seats near her precious Sasuke.' Sure enough, when she looked a row down, she saw said boy sitting on the end of the row with Hatake Kira and the Uzumaki boy in it. 'Huh, I thought the dobe didn't pass. Guess I was wrong.' The former was listening to Naruto jabbering about something. 'Heh, serves Yamanaka right. She probably didn't even want to try to get Kira to move, the chicken.' Not that Miyuki wanted to sit next to the Uchiha herself; she just enjoyed it when one of his irritating fan girls got put in their place by his sometimes-intimidating friend.

Finally seeing an open seat in the second row, the black-haired girl made her way down the stairs just as the bell rang. As she passed the trio's row, Naruto's voice rang unpleasantly in her sensitive ears. 'Geez, does that kid know any volume other than 'extremely loud'? I mean seriously, tone it down brat.' Kira's eyes shot up to meet hers and then narrowed. Miyuki froze. Was she…glaring at her? 'Why would she glare at me? What did I do?' The expression was so unexpected that the girl didn't even think to spout any of her smart-aleck retorts. After a few seconds, Hatake looked back to Uzumaki and her face softened into a half-smile, simultaneously freeing Miyuki from her trance. Her temper subsequently rose. 'Bipolar, much? What the hell is her problem?' Huffing in annoyance, she continued walking, only to nearly trip over a puppy that had suddenly appeared underneath her feet. "Hey!" she snapped. "Watch it!" The dog yipped and ran to his owner, Inuzuka Kiba.

"Sorry about that!" he apologized, grinning sheepishly at her. "I didn't see him go over there."

She scowled at him. "Keep an eye on your mutt."

His smile turned into a glare. "Hey! Akamaru is not a mutt! He is a pure-bred ninja hound!" The two kids glared at each other, angry sparks flying between them. A small hand yanked on Kiba's sleeve and he turned to face the petite girl next to him, hitai-ate tied atop her blonde hair like a headband. She gave him a pleading look, and he sighed before turning back to face Miyuki. "Sorry," he spat out. "I'll pay more attention next time."

She hmph-ed once and turned to continue forward, but not before catching sight of a pair of yellow eyes staring at her from underneath the blonde's seat. 'Creepy,' she thought. Finally getting to the open spot, she noticed who was next to it. 'Great, I have to sit to by the quiet weirdoes.' Shino turned his head slightly, as if looking at her, and then turned back to continue staring at the board. The auburn-haired boy on his other side (she couldn't remember his name but she thought it was Jinko or something) glanced at her, face oddly blank with a very faint air of curiosity. He had his hitai-ate tied loosely around his neck and he was slouched over his desk. His look didn't last long either before he went back to resting his chin on folded arms. 'Yup,' she concluded. 'Definitely weirdoes.'

"Okay, class, now that we're all here and seated," Iruka-sensei began, shooting a pointed look at her. She rolled her eyes. "I'll get straight to business. First off, congratulations on becoming Genin! Being a shinobi of Konohagakure is a great honor and responsibility…." Miyuki tuned out of the speech at that point, preferring instead to study the writing on the desk. One sharp nail scratched at some particularly large writing. 'Geez, what did people do, carve it with a kunai?'

"…..hope you are all successful in the future. Okay, now we will sort you into three-man teams, with a Jonin-sensei as your leader." She abruptly tuned back in to her teacher just in time to be as shocked as the rest of the class. "Teams?" she blurted out. "We have to have teams? What kind of a joke is this?" A few other students also raised their voices in protest.

Iruka gave them all a look. "When you are out in the field, you will work in teams most of the time. You will have to learn to work together to accomplish your missions. If you don't, it could be disastrous."

"What a bunch of crap," she muttered, folding her arms and scowling at the desk. Iruka frowned but did not reprimand her.

"If there are no more questions, I will read off the teams, and just so you are aware, since there are an uneven number of students, there will be one team of four. Now then, Team One…." Miyuki barely paid attention as her classmates were sorted. She sulked quietly, cursing the gods and praying to Kami-sama that she didn't get put on a team of weaklings. 'The last thing I need is to have to drag around a pair of deadweights.'

"Team Six, Hisakawa Miyuki…" She involuntarily jerked at the sound of her name. "…Hayashi Juro…" Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the russet-haired boy twitch. "…Moto Aya."

Hearing a male groan behind her, the pale girl turned her head to see Kiba frowning at his blonde neighbor. "Ayaaaa," he complained. "We're not on the same team. That sucks!"

The girl, Aya, patted his arm and gave him a smile. Miyuki saw her other hand forming strange signs she didn't recognize. "That's okay, Kiba-kun," a small, feminine voice spoke. "I'm sure you'll get a great team." The black-eyed girl blinked in confusion. She was pretty sure Moto's mouth hadn't moved, yet a voice had spoken as if it had. 'What the hell….?' she thought.

"Team Seven, Uzumaki Naruto, Haruno Sakura…"

"Yatta!" the blonde cried, while the pink-haired girl moaned and banged her head on her desk.

"….Uchiha Sasuke." Sakura cheered, while the faces of the Uzumaki and Hatake fell. 'Looks like they don't get to be together for this one,' Miyuki thought.

"And…" She turned back to Iruka. "Your team will be the one with four in it, so your final teammate is…" He grinned evilly, drawing out the silence. Everyone in the room seemed to hold their breath, caught up in the moment. Even herself. "Hatake Kira."

All of the Uchiha's fan girls moaned about not getting on his team. "Yatta!" Naruto cried again. Kira grinned brightly and then abruptly glared at the Chunin teacher. Even Sasuke seemed a little less broody than usual. Sakura banged her head on the desk again. Miyuki raised an eyebrow at the man. 'Wow, who knew Iruka-sensei could be so sadistic?'

The brunette enjoyed the aftermath of his announcement for another minute, and then called for the class to settle down. "Moving on. Team Eight, Hyuga Hinata, Inuzuka Kiba, and Aburame Shino." 'Heh,' the Hisakawa girl thought smugly. 'Kiba's on a team with a weirdo!' A sudden realization made her pause. 'Wait, I'M on a team with a weirdo.' She looked at the slouching boy near her. 'Damn it!'

After he got through all the teams, Iruka looked up from his clipboard with a smile. "That's it, you all know your teams. Your Jonin sensei will be here this afternoon to pick you up, so we'll break for lunch now. As a word of advice, I suggest you eat with your teammates and find out about each other. After all, you'll be spending a lot of time together in the future and it would be best if you know your teammates at least a little bit if you do not already. You can go outside, but be back here by 12:30. Dismissed." The kids stood and started moving around. Most of them seemed to be gathering in groups of three, presumably their teams. Shino rose as well and made his way to where Kiba and the Hyuga girl were standing together, leaving Miyuki and the other boy alone in their row. The former sighed. 'I guess it wouldn't kill me to eat lunch with my team. I'll have to get used to it anyway.' Reaching over, she tapped the boy on the shoulder. He turned his head to face her.

"Hey, you're that Juro kid, ne?" He nodded once. "I'm Miyuki. We're on the same team. Iruka-sensei said we should eat together, that cool with you?" A blank look, and then a nod. "Great, now where's that Aya chick?" She looked around and saw the girl still sitting in her seat, watching the other teams slowly trickling out of the room. "There she is, come on Sir Nods-a-lot." He blinked a few times, actually seeming stunned by her impromptu nickname, but then he shook his head and stood to follow her up the stairs. They approached the blonde, who was looking towards the back of the room, and the forceful girl tapped her on the shoulder. She jumped and jerked her head around sharply. The look of alarm swiftly morphed into a pleasant smile. Miyuki was taken aback, and a little intrigued, by the scar that extended from her right eyebrow, over her eye, and down to her cheekbone. She hadn't noticed it earlier. "Hey," she greeted. "We…" She jabbed a thumb at Juro. "…are your teammates. We were gonna eat lunch together, you in?" She got a nod and a smile in return. The blonde stood, and Miyuki realized that she was incredibly small. Now, she herself was no giant; she was on the bottom end of average height for a girl, and just fine with that. But Aya was tiny; the top of her head only came up to Miyuki's chin and Juro's shoulder. 'Great, my teammates are a munchkin and a weirdo.' It was then that she noticed the dog slinking out from under the bench. It was a Kunming wolfdog with black and tan fur, clearly still a puppy, and it was the owner of the yellow eyes she had seen staring at her earlier. "You have a ninken?" she asked the girl. Aya nodded and gave a happy smile so wide that her eyes squeezed shut. "Okay then." 'Are my teammates both mutes, too? Could this be any worse?' Huffing in barely-controlled irritation, Miyuki said, "Alrighty, let's go get our lunches." She trudged toward the door, Aya bouncing after her with wolfdog in tow and Juro quietly bringing up the rear. 'Kami-sama, when will this nightmare be over?'

**Juro**

He was officially annoyed. Now, Juro was by no means a short-tempered person. When you shared living space with nine older brothers with varying levels of narcissism, a father who only grunted at you most of the time, and a younger sister who tried to ambush you at least twice per day, a person built up a heavy amount of patience and tolerance. This Hisakawa girl though…..she was getting on his nerves. Who did she think she was ordering them around like she was the leader of their team? And why did _he_ have to get put on a team alone with two girls, when every other team had two boys? Aya wasn't too bad, actually. She was a bit too cheerful and, um, bubbly, in his opinion, but he had actually talked to her once (well, sort of; he had talked to her through her dog) and they had gotten along well enough. He didn't think there would be a problem working with her. But he really wished that he could trade Miyuki for someone else. Shino would have been perfect; his best friend knew that the air didn't have to be filled with talking all the time, and his kikaichu bugs would come in handy on missions. Shikamaru would have been great too. Even Choji would be preferable. Heck, he'd take superiority-complex Sasuke over this obnoxious girl. At least Sasuke didn't talk as if he thought he was stupid; in fact, he barely talked at all. Well, he did once say that Juro was weak because he came from a civilian family; but then, Sasuke thought EVERYONE was weak.

Shaking himself out of his musings, Juro looked up ahead at the pony-tailed girl. She was leading their little line up the stairs, slightly-developed hips swaying confidently with each step. The motion made the ends of the hitai-ate tied around her waist swing back and forth. Each team member had a bento box. Aya held hers steady in both hands so it wouldn't jostle too much as she skipped up the stairs. Her dog, whose name he remembered was Michi, was now riding on her partner's head so she didn't have to struggle up the human-sized stairs. The picture was a bit ridiculous; a tiny girl with waist-length, bright blonde hair, dressed in pale purple, skipping along with a puppy sitting on her head. He snorted slightly in amusement, catching the attention of his less-pleasant teammate.

"Something funny, Hayashi?" she remarked, raising an eyebrow. He shook his head, not bothering to answer verbally knowing how much it seemed to irritate her when he didn't. Sure enough, she huffed angrily and turned back around, and he rewarded himself with a smirk. Yes, it was childish, but who said he had to be the mature one all the time? "Here we are," his teammate announced, pushing through a door and out onto what was obviously the roof of the Academy. The Hokage's Tower stretched into the sky overhead, casting a nice amount of shade to shelter them from the hot noon sun. The three kids took a seat on the cool stone, arranging themselves in a triangle of sorts so that they faced each other. Michi jumped off of Aya's head and sat next to her. The girl opened her box and withdrew a plastic bag filled with what looked like strips of dried meat. She offered one to the dog, who snagged it delicately between her teeth, dropped to lie on the ground, and started gnawing.

Juro realized he had been staring for several minutes and immediately focused his attention on his own bento. He always tried to balance healthy, energy-rich foods with snacky, unhealthy ones. A small red apple rested snugly in one corner next to a bed of long-grain rice, with a generous helping of seaweed-wrapped sushi (no shellfish included) and four takoyaki taking up the remaining space. He pinched one of the fried balls between his chopsticks and took a big bite, savoring the delicious octopus and onion inside. He swallowed and went to finish it off when he caught sight of Miyuki staring at him. He raised an eyebrow in question, and she smirked. "You like takoyaki too huh?" she asked, raising a ball of her own up for inspection. He lifted both eyebrows in surprise. Well, takoyaki was pretty delicious if he said so himself. A small cough caught both of their attentions. Aya held up her chopsticks and, lo and behold, she too had a takoyaki ball stuck between them. "Well, look at that," the charcoal-eyed girl mused. "Looks like we actually learned something about each other." She smirked in a patronizing manner. "And we didn't even have to talk either. I'm beginning to doubt if you guys even can." Juro's blood boiled, but he took several, inconspicuous deep breaths. He decided that he had been silent long enough.

"You know," he said clearly. "Just because I choose not to talk doesn't mean that I can't."

The black-haired girl gasped dramatically. "He speaks!"

He stared at her blankly. "Not funny."

She smirked. "Says you. You know Sir Nods-a-lot, for a quiet weirdo, you have a pretty nice voice."

The boy grit his teeth but maintained eye contact. "Don't call me that."

"What? Sir Nods-a-lot?"

"Yes. I have a name."

"Oh really? What would that be?"

"Juro."

"Juro? I like Sir Nods-a-lot better."

He stared her down, jaw tightening up with irritation. "Don't. Call. Me. That." The glaring contest commenced.

**Aya**

She really didn't know what to do. This wasn't at all what she had thought would happen upon hearing the word "teams." When Iruka-sensei had announced her name, she had been happy with who she was grouped with. She and Juro weren't close but she had talked to him a few times and he was nice to her, despite her disability. As for Miyuki, she may have an abrasive personality, and it was obvious that she didn't even know who Aya was despite being classmates for seven years, but she had never been mean to her and she had suggested that the team eat together and even led them to this nice eating spot. Of course she had noticed that her teammates were getting on each other's nerves, but she thought that it was just normal new-teammate behavior and that it would blow over. Obviously, that had been the wrong assumption. It looked like they might start throwing punches at any second. And if she was being honest, she did not think that Juro would come out in good shape. Yeah, he was a boy and had the height advantage, but he wasn't from a ninja family. Miyuki was, so she had more than just Academy training up her sleeve. Juro would get pummeled. 'What should I do?!' she frantically signed to Michi. The dog just whined a little and watched the pair intently.

Aya went back to watching too, looking at Miyuki and nervously biting her lip. Why, oh why, did the girl have to push Juro's buttons like that? Why couldn't she just call him by his real name? The boy was nice, quiet and considerate; it's not like he deserved such treatment. She shifted her eyes to him and noticed something that surprised her. Juro's normal blank, calm expression was gone. His mouth was tensed in a firm line, jaw set in determination, and his brow was furrowed. It was his eyes, though, that made the difference. They were slightly narrowed, and the dark green irises shone with an intensity that made him seem….intimidating. Imposing. Authoritative. He looked like a leader. A seriously pissed-off leader, but still…. Her own deep purple orbs widened and she glanced hurriedly back to Miyuki.

The dark-haired girl must have seen the change as well. Her smirk slowly faded and her eyes also widened, almost imperceptibly, in astonishment. Then her thin eyebrows tilted inward and she scowled, trying to win the glaring contest, but it was a losing battle. Juro's expression remained steady. If anything, it grew more ferocious. Aya watched Miyuki's stare gradually waver, until finally she dropped her gaze to stare at her bento. "Gomen," she muttered.

"What was that?" Juro prompted, his level voice totally at odds with his fierce expression.

The other tensed up, obviously warring with herself, until she finally seemed to give in. "Gomen….Juro-san."

The boy closed his eyes and nodded. His face softened, and Aya thought she saw a small smile almost bloom on his face. "Arigatou, Miyuki-san." He opened his eyes again. "But just Juro is fine."

She whipped her head up. "Nani?" she burst out, incredulous. Aya was similarly shocked. Calling someone by their given name without an honorific was like saying you considered them to be very close to you, akin to family. Juro asking Miyuki to forgo the honorific was a huge leap, considering they had almost been at each other's throats not five minutes ago.

The boy seemed to sense the air of disbelief. "We're teammates now," he explained. "Whether you like it or not, we are going to be spending a lot of time together from now on and we will have to be able to trust each other completely on missions." He actually cracked a bit of a genuine smile then. "We will have to trust as family do."

Miyuki didn't say anything for a very long time, and Aya was sure she would not respond. But then, she raised her head and looked the boy in the eye. Much to the small girl's surprise, she returned the smile. "I hate to admit it, but you have a point." She held out a fist. "Teammates are supposed to trust each other, and I guess since I'm stuck with you, I'll have to do the same—Juro." His smile widened fractionally and he bumped his knuckles against hers. Aya practically squealed with joy. Her team was finally getting along!

The black-haired girl cleared her throat in discomfort. "Alright, enough of this mushy nonsense." She turned to the blonde. "We know that Juro wasn't talking because he was just being an ass." Said 'ass' sighed but let the insult go. "So what's your excuse, Blondie-chan? Are you being a jerk too, or just shy?"

Aya shifted uncomfortably. Yes, she had gotten over the depression regarding her disability a while ago, but that didn't mean she enjoyed bringing up the subject. Michi nudged her hand in encouragement. The girl took a deep breath, and then nodded to her canine companion. The dog turned towards the others, and the blonde couldn't quite suppress the pang of sadness when she said, "Aya was born a mute."

Juro just nodded; this was old news to him. Miyuki's reaction was more dramatic. Her mouth hung open, her eyebrows were arched high, and she stared comically. The smaller girl thought she was horrified that her teammate was so disabled, but the words out of the black-haired girl's mouth quickly dispelled that assumption.

"That dog can talk," she stated. Juro actually rolled his eyes.

"Yes," he said. "I think we can all hear fine."

She snapped out of her daze to glare at him. "Dogs don't normally do that, smart-ass."

Aya giggled a little, drawing attention back to her. Michi huffed in annoyance and said, "I'm no ordinary dog, brainless. I was born and bred a nin-dog, one of the few who is capable of speech. I'm a prodigy among the Inuzuka." She puffed out her chest with pride.

"Is that right?" Miyuki replied. "You're pretty tiny, for a prodigy." This comment earned her a growl, but she ignored it and addressed Aya. "I thought only the members of the Inuzuka clan could partner with their nin-dogs. Why do you have one?"

The puppy was about to retort, but her companion petted her head to placate her. The girl then made some hand signs, and Michi started to interpret as she was trained to. "Kiba convinced his mother, the clan head, to make the arrangement. He and I have been friends since we were five, and he told her about my disability and asked her to make one of the talking nin-dogs my partner. It also turns out that my mother was a distant cousin of hers, so she was a bit more lenient. I had to go through training to learn hand signs and stuff, but Michi and I were officially joined when I turned six. She speaks for me when I need her to. And we make an awesome fighting team." The last sentence was in Michi's own words.

Aya finished her hand movements and bit her lip, watching her teammate's reaction. The other girl just looked a bit impressed. "Huh, I have to say, I'm surprised the Inuzuka gave up one of their dogs to an outsider, especially a talking one. Kiba must really like you." To her horror, she felt her face heat up and knew she must be blushing. Michi snickered, but dutifully interpreted the shaking hand signs.

"Kiba-kun and I are just very good friends. He did me a huge favor that I will be eternally grateful for."

Miyuki grinned slyly. "You like him don't you?" Aya shook her head emphatically, not bothering with hand signs. The grin only widened. "Liar. It's okay, I'm not gonna go blabbing about it to anyone." Here she poked the girl's red cheek teasingly. "But I have to say your blush makes you look even more like a doll than you already do." This, of course, turned the blonde's face even redder, and she refused to look at anyone or respond. Juro just seemed amused by the whole exchange. "Heh, I mean that as a compliment," the black-haired girl continued. "You're totally adorable." She picked up her abandoned bento. "I think that's enough of this bonding crap for now. I'm starving even more than I was before, so I'm gonna eat." The others nodded and followed her example.

**A/N: My name is Whovian, and welcome to The Other Guys. This is my first story ever, and I decided to upload two chapters at once because I felt they went better together. The chapter titles are songs I felt summed up what happened in the chapter. Please enjoy, and if you would like, leave a review pointing out any grammatical errors or just some advice for a new writer. :) Thank you!** **Whovian is out!**


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three: Who are you, by The Who

**Miyuki**

"So," she said. "Who do you think we'll get for a sensei?" The trio was heading back to the classroom, walking side by side instead of in a single file line like before. Aya was back to her bubbly, skipping self; Michi balanced like an expert on her head. Juro's face had returned to its default blankness, but his posture was more relaxed than it had been before their group talk. She shivered at the memory of his intimidating glare; she had no idea he could be so fierce-looking. It was like seeing an alternate personality. 'Or,' she thought to herself, 'maybe it's just that I never took the time to know him.' Yeah, that was it. 'So much for the quiet weirdo.' She glanced at his apathetic expression. 'Well, okay, he's still a weirdo."

"I don't really have an idea who will be our sensei," Aya replied, speaking through Michi. "I don't know a lot of Jonin, but it probably won't be an Inuzuka. Kiba-kun would have heard about something like that."

"What do you think Juro?"

"I grew up in a civilian environment, so I don't know any Jonin," he answered; it was still kind of strange hearing his voice, at least to her. He looked thoughtful for a moment, and then added, "Well, there was this one Jonin I met when I was little, but I only remember his face, not his name. I think it started with a G. And I saw this other shinobi with crazy silver hair wearing a Jonin vest once when I walked past a book store. But, again, I don't know his name, just his face. Well, sort of, since he was wearing a mask."

"That was probably Hatake Kakashi; he's the only Jonin I know of with silver hair and a mask. You sure have a thing for faces, huh?"

He shrugged. "It's just easy for me to remember what people look like."

"That's a good ability to have," Michi commented. "Being able to remember a face means you can recognize it later if you have to. It will come in handy when you're asked to describe a person for a mission report, or memorize a photo of a target."

Juro nodded in agreement. "I know, but I haven't exactly had to use it for that purpose yet."

"Yeah, yeah, you can remember people's faces." Miyuki rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that'll help when they're trying to kill you. Well, unless they succeed." She grinned when he shot her a mild glare. "You're just upset 'cause you know I'm right."

"Yeah, that's the reason," he muttered, and returned to his blank look.

"Do you have an idea who our sensei is, Miyuki-chan?" Aya asked.

She thought for a second. "I can think of a few Jonin. My fourth cousin, Mitarashi Anko, is a one, but no one in their right mind would put her in command of a bunch of kids."

"Why?" the blonde asked, curious.

The black-haired girl shivered. "Just trust me on this one. That leaves Yuhi Kurenai, Sarutobi Asuma, Ebisu, Kakashi and Might Gai. I think Kurenai would be picked because she's good with kids. I'm not sure about Asuma, Kakashi and Ebisu, they might be sensei. I don't know Gai personally, but I heard he already has a team so he's probably out." 'And my obaa-san retired years ago,' she added privately. 'So no way would she get a team. She'd probably end up smacking them all instead of teaching.' She snickered at that mental image, earning her a disconcerted look from Michi.

"I hope we get Kurenai-san, then," Aya stated, cheerful smile on her face. The three arrived at their classroom and took seats next to each other. Most of the other teams were there already, but Iruka was still eating lunch at his desk. Miyuki looked at the clock and saw that there were still ten minutes until break was over. 'Huh, I'm actually early,' she thought, amused. 'Fancy that. These two are already rubbing off on me.'

Iruka finished his food a few minutes later, and shortly after that the bell rang. Miyuki looked up from examining her fingernails. Aya, who had seemed to be having a private conversation with her dog, did the same. Juro had turned around in his seat to talk to Shino, who was sitting with his team a row up. He too looked towards their teacher when the ringing stopped. The black-eyed girl glanced around the rest of the room, noting that a certain blond Uzumaki was missing while the rest of Team Seven was present. 'Ha, I'm not last to class this time. Take that, life!'

"Alright class," Iruka began. "Now that we are all here…"

An orange figure burst into the room, rattling the door frame with the force of entry. "I'm here!" Naruto yelled. Iruka shot him one of his patented frowns and waited until the boy was seated next to Kira before continuing.

"Okay, NOW that we're all here, it's time for you to meet your Jonin senseis. Before they come in, I just want to say that I am happy you all made it through school, and that I am proud to have been your sensei." He smiled at them, and then cleared his throat. "Alright, you can all come in now." A line of adults wearing Jonin vests filed into the room. The students looked on in awe; these were the higher level shinobi of Konoha, who each had five times more skill than all of the Genin combined. It was slightly intimidating, and exciting too.

Miyuki studied the lineup, not as impressed. She'd been around Jonin before; the novelty wore off after a while. Especially after hanging around her crazy cousin. No Jonin could be as scary as Anko. She was, however, pleased to see that Kurenai and Asuma were among those present. They were good shinobi; she wouldn't mind having either one as a teacher.

"We'll just start at the end here, I suppose," Iruka said. A male shinobi stepped forward and called out "Team Four. Come with me." A group of Genin in the front got up and followed him out the door. As the line dwindled, Miyuki grew increasingly irritated, especially when Asuma and Kurenai called out numbers that weren't her team. Before she knew it, there was only one Jonin still present. 'Why is there only one left? There are still three teams here!' Her mouth twisted in a scowl. 'If we aren't called, I'm going to be upset.' Unfortunately, the Jonin announced a different number, so then only Teams Six and Seven were left. 'Looks like Sasuke's team is stuck here too. Heh, ironic that they're keeping the precious Uchiha waiting.' "I am so sorry," Iruka told the kids, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly. "I guess your senseis are running late." Just as he finished speaking, the door opened and in walked a tall male shinobi with light brown hair, wearing his hitai-ate on his head like a bandana.

"Sorry I'm late," he drawled, speaking around the senbon sticking out from between his lips. "I got held up at the Tower."

Iruka sighed, "That's alright, Genma, I know how busy you can be."

The brunette Jonin nodded in thanks and then looked at the Genin. "Alright, which of your groups is Team Six?"

Miyuki glanced at her teammates. Aya and Michi were studying the man, obviously trying to gauge if he was nice or not. Juro, to her surprise, was like a deer caught in a bright light. He was staring at the man with wide eyes, lips slightly parted. It was clear that none of them was going to answer. She sighed. "We're Team Six," she spoke up, getting to her feet. She nudged Aya, who also rose, tugging on Juro's sleeve to get him to stand as well. The man, Genma, looked them over, and she noted that his brown eyes seemed to linger on Juro a little bit longer than the girls. 'Creepy.'

"Well," he said, grinning cheekily. "Follow me, kiddos." He turned and walked out, the Genin trailing after. He led them out of the Academy and into the streets with the kids in a line behind him; Miyuki was in front, Aya and Michi behind her and Juro in last. Aya had to keep a hand on the boy's sleeve, urging him along, because he still seemed in a state of shock. Miyuki didn't know what was up with him, but he was slowing them down and Genma was getting further and further ahead. "Enough of this," she muttered, stopping dead. She turned, marched up to Juro and poked him in the chest. "What is wrong with you?" she demanded.

"It's him," he whispered. "It's actually him."

"What are talking about? Who is who?" Miyuki poked him again, but he remained glassy-eyed. "Kuso!" Her hand connected with his cheek and his head snapped to the side from the force. Ignoring Aya's squeak of alarm, she hissed, "Snap out of it, moron!"

The auburn-haired boy slowly turned his head back to face her. His expression was back to blank, but his eyes flashed dangerously. "Why did you hit me?" he asked with an icy tone.

"You were standing there like a freaking statue!" she reasoned angrily. "What the hell was that about?"

He didn't respond, but she could see some strange emotion flit through his eyes. "It was nothing," he claimed. "I just spaced out."

She narrowed her eyes, but he didn't elaborate and time wasn't on their side, so she let it go. "Fine, don't do it again," she snapped. "Now can we hurry up and follow our sensei before he disappears?" He nodded, and the three kids plus one dog hastened to catch up to the significantly farther away figure of the Jonin. The group walked in silence for a few moments, and then the man turned to look over his shoulder at them.

"Took you long enough," he said, grinning, then went back to looking ahead. The Genin exchanged a look, but no one bothered to comment back.

**Juro**

There was no way that it could actually be him. But Juro never forgot a face, and it was definitely the same person. He couldn't believe that the same man who had walked into his father's clothing store seven years ago, the man who had inspired him to be a ninja, was actually his sensei. It would seem that fate had a sense of irony. The silent joy at this development was enough to make him forget about the throbbing in his cheek. He could understand why Miyuki had slapped him, but dang could she hit hard!

"Alright, kids, we'll stop here," the Jonin said, turning to face them. Juro, who hadn't really been paying attention, finally looked at his surroundings. The man had led them to one of the more secluded training fields. About half of it was taken up by randomly placed wooden posts, ranging from three to seven feet high. There were targets on several of the trees lining the area, a ring of four large boulders a few meters from the post area, and a large patch of ground near their group that was worn down so much only dirt showed. A shallow river cut across the near left corner. "Welcome to Training Ground Six," their sensei announced, grinning. Team Six shared a look, and it was clear on their faces that they all liked the training area. Juro's eyes locked onto the targets. 'I suppose I could use some work on my aim,' he thought, already planning on practicing his throws the first chance he got.

**Aya**

There were so many things to look at! Aya had been to a lot of training areas before. She'd even seen some of the Inuzuka's private fields, thanks to Kiba. But this…this one was perfect in her eyes. Big, secluded, lots of trees around, the refreshing-looking river, those cool post thingies, and ground that felt good for earth techniques. 'Michi…' she signed.

"I know," the canine replied in a hushed voice. "Perfect."

**Miyuki**

What was the first thing she noticed when she walked into the training area? Sure, she knew Aya looked at everything like she had just gotten the best Christmas present ever, and Juro was gazing almost hungrily at the targets, but she didn't care about that. Miyuki took one look at those odd wooden posts and thought, 'This is gonna be awesome."

**Genma**

He couldn't help but smile at the kids. They looked like five-year-olds who had just been given the keys to a candy store. All of their eyes shone as they drank in the area. The one with the ponytail was eyeing the balance training posts. The tiny girl with the unusual facial scar was bouncing slightly in excitement, looking eagerly at everything. 'How does one so young get a scar like that?' he wondered. The Kunming puppy at her feet studied the field inquisitively. The sole boy wasn't as openly expressive as the others, but his body was leaning subtly towards the nearest target as he fingered his kunai pouch. Genma observed him the closest.

There were definitely changes, and he had obviously undergone a lot of growth over the years, but the Jonin was sure that it was the same boy. Same dark red-brown hair, same forest green eyes, that air about him that indicated natural alertness. 'It's been awhile since that conversation in your dad's shop, hasn't it Juro? I wonder if you remember.' It was safe to say that he did. He hadn't missed the boy's reaction to his appearance in the classroom, or the brief wake-up call administered by his black-haired teammate. Hayashi clearly recognized him, and was shocked out of his sandals. 'It is a bit of a coincidence that we meet like this,' Genma thought. 'Then again, the Hokage does know most of what occurs in the village. Perhaps he heard about the incidence years ago and that's why he made me their Jonin sensei.' He chewed on his senbon in a contemplative manner. 'It would make sense. Of course, just because I took a liking to the boy doesn't mean I'll neglect his teammates.' He smiled at the kids. 'I suppose they've looked long enough.'

"So," he said, "like what you see?"

"Hell yes," the onyx-eyed girl answered. The blonde one nodded emphatically, and the boy grunted in agreement. The Jonin found that odd; he remember the kid as being one to ask a lot of questions. Well, his appearance wasn't the only thing bound to change, he supposed.

"Good to know." He waved a hand in a 'come with me' motion and walked over to the ring of rocks. He sat down on the largest one and the kids arranged themselves on the others, blackie in the middle with blondie on her left and boy on her right.

"So why did you bring us here, Bandana Man?" the first demanded. 'Hmm, definitely the self-appointed leader of this group,' he decided.

"I brought you here because not only is it the designated training ground for the current Team Six, it is also well away from the main part of the village and we are less likely to be disturbed." He grinned. "I figured that since I'm your sensei now I should get to know you guys, so we're going to do a little info sharing." He grabbed the senbon out of his mouth and started twisting it between his fingers. "Why don't we start with your name, one like and dislike, favorite hobby, and a current goal for the future?"

He saw the blonde making one-handed signs, and then the dog sitting in her lap spoke. "Can you go first to demonstrate, sensei?" 'Hmm,' he mused. 'Talking nin-dog. I remember reading that in her file. Very unusual for a non-Inuzuka to have one of their special dogs.'

"I can do that," he said aloud with a smile. "My name is Shiranui Genma. I like pumpkin broth, and I dislike people who attack the Hokage. My favorite hobby is travelling outside the village, and one of my current goals is to successfully train you guys to be excellent ninja."

"Um, doesn't everybody hate people who attack the Hokage?" ponytail-girl asked in a bored voice.

The corner of his mouth twitched down. "Iie, not everybody." She raised an eyebrow in question. He didn't elaborate, instead stopping his senbon's twirling for a second to point it at the blonde. "Why don't you go next, kiddo?"

She nodded and smiled cheerfully, then began with her signs. "My name is Moto Aya. I like takoyaki and I dislike people who think they can pick on people because they're bigger than they are. My hobby is climbing trees and my goal is to become a good ninja so that I can defend Konoha."

Genma nodded. "Nice to meet you Aya-chan. I hope I can help you achieve your goal." He pointed his senbon at her again. "Your turn."

The group looked at him in confusion. "Um, sensei? She already went," the other girl pointed out. Aya nodded, clearly not understanding what he was doing.

He shook his head. "I'm not pointing at her; I'm pointing at her partner."

"Me?" the dog asked, surprised.

"Her?" the loud girl echoed. "But she's a dog!" The canine glared.

"She's a member of the team isn't she? She should be treated like one."

"I like you," the puppy stated. She drew herself up to her entire foot-high height and began her introduction. "My name is Michi. I like people who respect animals and dislike people who act like dogs don't have brains." She glared at the black-haired girl. "My favorite hobby is taking walks and my goal is to help Aya-chan achieve her goals." Said girl smiled and patted her companion's head.

"An excellent goal," the man said. "Alright, Ponytail, your turn."

"What's with this Ponytail business?" she asked, irked.

"Bandana Man?" he questioned in response.

She scowled but didn't retort. "Fine. My REAL name is Hisakawa Miyuki. I like takoyaki, same as Aya, and I dislike cute nicknames, such as 'baby,' 'sweetheart,' and, dear Kami-sama, 'honeybun.' It's disgusting. I have a hobby, but I don't particularly want to tell you people what it is. I don't really have a goal besides not dying an untimely death."

"That is a good goal," he remarked. "But please, do tell us your hobby."

"No," she said stubbornly, crossing her arms.

"It's required, you have to."

"No."

"Come on, Miyuki-chan, we won't tell anyone else," Aya promised.

"No!"

"Miyuki." Genma turned towards Juro in mild surprise. So far the boy had not said a word. If he hadn't heard him speak before, he might have believed him mute like Aya. "Miyuki, we're not going to laugh at you," the green-eyed kid told her. "That's not what good friends do."

She looked back and forth between her teammates, from Moto's encouraging smile to Hayashi's patient stare, and finally sighed in defeat. "Alright, it's flower picking," she mumbled. "I like to go out to the forest after school and look for flowers."

"Really?" Genma couldn't help saying. She didn't seem like the type of girl who liked something as girly as flowers.

"Yes, really," she snapped, obviously embarrassed.

"I think that's a great hobby," Aya assured her.

"Flowers are nice," Juro agreed. Genma watched the Genin interact. 'From what I've heard of them, they shouldn't be getting along as well as they are, especially Hisakawa and Hayashi. Hmm..."

"There is nothing wrong with a beautiful flower," he commented out loud. "And that brings us to the only other male, besides me. Tell us about yourself."

The boy sent him an odd look he couldn't quite decipher before proceeding. "My name is Hayashi Juro. I also like takoyaki, and I dislike people who think that kids who have civilian parents can't be good shinobi. One of my hobbies is stargazing. My goal is prove to my family and to others that I can be one of the best shinobi in the village, even if no one believes in me." There was such bitter determination in his voice that Genma couldn't help but feel bad for him. 'He's probably been discouraged and put down a lot in school and at home.'

His teammates noticed too. "Hey, we'll be right there with you, Juro," Miyuki said, punching him lightly on the arm.

"We believe in you, Juro-kun," Aya stated, smiling at him. Michi nodded in agreement.

"Arigatou," he murmured, meeting their eyes with a tiny smile.

"Come on, team, put 'em in!" Miyuki stuck a hand out, palm down. Aya giggled and placed her hand over her teammate's. Juro smiled wider and put his on top. "You're part of the team too, mutt," the rude girl commanded. Michi rolled her eyes at the 'mutt' but placed her paw against the stacked hands. Genma watched in amusement. 'This team sure is an interesting bunch.'

"Oi, sensei!" He snapped out of his thoughts to see the three kids and dog looking at him expectantly. "What?" he asked innocently.

"Stop spacing out," Miyuki chided. "You're our leader right? That means you're included in this." He couldn't stop the grin from spreading on his face. Sticking the senbon back in his mouth, he placed his considerably larger hand over the kids'. "Team Six on three!" Miyuki yelled. "One, two, three!"

"TEAM SIX!" they all cried, even the adult, and threw their hands into the air. Genma looked at his laughing crew. Even Juro was chuckling a little. His mouth quirked upward. 'Oh yes, they are going to be fun to teach.'

**Aya**

She was so very, very happy! Her team was getting along beautifully, they had this perfect training field all to themselves, and her sensei was one of the nicest adults she had ever met. She looked around at her friends' happy faces and felt absolutely wonderful. Even Juro was smiling more than usual!

"Alright you guys, I think that's enough for today." Genma said. He stood up from his boulder and stretched before leading them back towards the village. She heard a few cracks from his bones and was reminded of the joint popping competition with Michi that morning. It made her giggle. The man shot her a grin and a companionable wink, making her giggle again.

"What is with all the giggling?" Miyuki complained. "Don't you ever get tired of it?"

Aya started signing. "It's not that I don't get tired of it, but it is nearly impossible for me to laugh normally due to my vocal impairment."

"Oh, ah, sorry," Miyuki apologized, seeming embarrassed. "I didn't mean to sound like I was being mean about it…"

"Nice going, jerk," Juro said, a teasing smirk on his face.

"Shut up, you teme!" the girl snapped. "I didn't do it on purpose!"

Aya placed her hands between them. "Guys, it's okay! It's not a big deal." She turned to Miyuki. "Just know that you'll have to get used to the giggling."

The other girl calmed down and saluted mockingly. "Yes ma'am!" she said, eliciting another giggle.

"Okay you three, listen up now," their sensei drawled, stopping at where the first buildings appeared. "Tomorrow is our first official day as a team."

"What was today then?" Miyuki asked.

"Today was more of a get-to-know-each-other day. Tomorrow, we get serious." He paused and appeared to rethink the statement. "Well, more serious than today. I wouldn't want you guys to be TOO serious." He grinned and winked. The obnoxious girl rolled her eyes, Juro arched an eyebrow, and Aya giggled again. "Anyway, back to my original point. We'll reconvene tomorrow at eight a.m. Do you all remember the way to the training area?" One nod, one head shake, and one nod that turned into a shake. "Oookay, just to make sure no one gets lost, we'll meet somewhere else to start. Any suggestions?"

"How about the red bridge over the main river?" Michi suggested.

"Nah, too boring," Miyuki complained. "How about the Hokage Monument?"

"Why there?" Juro asked.

"Because it's cool! Come on, it's THE village landmark!"

"Do you really want to climb all the way up a mountain at eight in the morning?"

"…Point taken."

"I have an idea," the Jonin loudly declared, cutting the two off. "You guys said you like takoyaki right?"

"Yup," Miyuki said while Juro and Aya nodded.

"I never said that," Michi piped up. Aya swatted her on the head for being difficult.

"Most of you then," Genma amended. "There's this takoyaki place downtown, across from Ichiraku's ramen stand. Do you know where that is?"

"Oh yeah! I get takeout from there all the time," the black-haired Genin said. "It's called Nato's. It's so good!"

Aya nodded and Michi said, "We've been there a few times."

"My mom took me there for my birthday last year," the boy added in.

"Then that will be our meeting place," the adult concluded. "Everyone in agreement say 'aye.'"

"Aye!" "Aye." *nod* "Yeah I suppose, since I have to go with Aya anyway."

"So where are we meeting?"

"Nato's!" came the collective response.

"What time?"

"Eight a.m.!"

"Good." The Jonin stared them down. "Then you will be there, on time, and ready to work hard. Got it?"

"Got it!"

"Then that's all." He grinned and waved a hand lazily. "You're dismissed, kiddos." He disappeared, leaving behind a swirl of leaves.

"Whoa," Michi said. "Oh, and Aya says that was cool."

"How did he do that?" Juro questioned, curious.

"That would be the Shunshin," Miyuki explained. The trio started walking through the streets. "A lot of Jonin-level shinobi use it to get around quickly. I'm not really sure how it works, but I hear it's pretty handy."

"Do you think Genma-sensei will teach it to us?" Aya asked.

"No, at least not for a while. It's a Chunin-level technique, and we've barely made Genin level. We're nowhere near ready for that."

"It would be good to know someday though," Juro commented.

"Oh I totally agree with you on that one. Hey, this is my turn." The group came to a halt and Miyuki scratched her head. "Well, I guess this is goodbye for now."

"Yes," said Juro, and Aya nodded sadly.

"We had a pretty good first day though."

"Definitely," the others agreed.

"So, I'll see you guys tomorrow."

"At eight a.m. sharp," the boy reminded her.

She gave him an eye roll. "Yeah, we'll see how that goes." She turned away with a smirk and wave. "Ja ne, Blondie and Sir Nods-a-lot."

"Do you think we'll ever get rid of those nicknames?" Juro asked his remaining teammate. She shook her head. "Me neither." He looked around. "I live in the civilian area, so I'm leaving too." He waved. "Ja ne, Aya, Michi." The two said goodbye back and continued towards their own home.

Upon entering the house, Aya's aunt looked up from her chair by the fireplace. "Hello Aya-chan," she greeted. "How was your day?"

"It was great! We got put into teams and met our new sensei, who is a Jonin. He's really nice."

"That's great sweetie!" The woman smiled. "Did she stay out of trouble, Michi?"

"As always."

"Excellent." She looked down at her knitting. "Your uncle won't be home until later, so I ordered takeout from the barbecue place. It's in the kitchen, so help yourselves." Girl and dog bowed slightly and then went to get food. 'Not as good as takoyaki,' Aya thought.

**Miyuki**

When the black-eyed member of Team Six got back to her apartment, she was immediately drawn to the wonderful smells coming from the kitchen. She found her grandmother tending to a sizzling pan on the stove. "Smells good, obaa-chan," she complimented.

The woman turned and gave her a soft smile. "Arigatou, Miyuki-chan," she replied. "Why don't you go wash up for dinner? By the time you are back, the food will be done."

"I certainly hope so. I'm starving." Miyuki left the kitchen and walked down the hall to her room. She let her hair down from its ponytail and then tugged her light green sleeveless turtleneck over her head. The knee-length shorts and shin bandages followed, and she replaced everything with baggy sweatpants and a loose tank top. After a short internal debate, she decided to leave her hair down. 'It's not like I'm trying to impress anybody,' she concluded. So after running a brush through the shoulder-length tresses, she exited the room and made a quick path back to the kitchen. "I'm back!" she announced.

"And the food is done," the old woman replied. Dinner began in silence, but after a bit the woman cleared her throat. "So, how did things go today?"

Miyuki shrugged. "It was alright. We got put on teams and met our new sensei. Not much else though. Our sensei said we don't start getting 'serious…'" She drew imaginary quotation marks in the air. "…until tomorrow."

"Mm, yes I remember that from when I was a Genin."

"That must have been ages ago. Like when the gods first created the earth."

"I don't need your sass, missy, I'm not that old! Who is on your team?"

"A boy named Hayashi Juro, a girl named Moto Aya and her ninken Michi, and our sensei is Shiranui Genma. I've never heard of him before today, have you?"

"I have actually. He's a Tokubetsu Jonin, if I remember right, and a good one too. Supposedly, he's part of the Hokage's personal guard, so why he's been assigned a Genin team is a mystery to me. Two girls and one boy on your team? That's unusual; usually it is the other way around. And a non-Inuzuka with a ninken? Interesting." She stirred her rice contemplatively. "What do you think of your sensei?"

Miyuki shrugged again. "He's okay. He didn't seem all that impressive or intimidating though. All he did was show us our awesome training grounds and then tell us to introduce ourselves." She grimaced. "Apparently he likes pumpkin broth."

The old woman chuckled. "I see, and what about your teammates?"

The girl smirked. "They aren't total deadweights."

Her grandmother smiled. "Well that is good to hear."

**Juro**

The male member of Team Six was greeted with noise upon his return home.

"Yo, look who's back."

"Little Juro-chan has come home!"

"Took you long enough. What, did you take the extra-long way home?"

He ignored his brothers' comments, returned Saito's nod of greeting, and then went to the kitchen. "Oh, Juro-kun!" his mother said, looking up from the sink. "You're home later than usual. The rest of us have already eaten, but I saved some dinner for you. It's in the refrigerator."

"Arigatou, okaa-san." He found the food and sat at the table.

"So how was your day?" Mei asked him. "Did you learn anything new?"

"No. All of the Genin were put into teams of three and given a Jonin as a new sensei. The only thing we did was get to know each other."

"Oh, I see. Well, are you happy with who is on your team?"

He nodded. "Yes, they are good people."

The woman smiled. "Well that is good then." She hummed as she washed a pan.

As he picked at the food, Juro felt like he was missing something. Then he realized that he hadn't been ambushed yet. "Where is Naiya-chan?"

"She is in bed. She threw a fit while I was out with her today and so I sent her to her room early as punishment. You can see each other tomorrow."

"And where is father?"

Her hand paused in its scrubbing, then resumed in slower circles. "He has to go into the shop earlier than usual tomorrow, so he is already resting as well." She turned her head his way to regard him curiously. "Why do you ask?" It was common knowledge in the household that Juro and his father did not exactly see eye to eye.

He shrugged. "No reason, really." 'I can always ask father about 'that incident' tomorrow,' he added in his head. Not that he was looking forward to it or anything; conversations with his father never turned out great.

His mother looked like she was going to push for more, but then seemed to let it go. "Alright then." She scrubbed on. "So Nagano was telling me about a funny incident earlier. Apparently, Takeshi-san's cabbage cart was mysteriously overrun with mice, and he did not take too kindly to that…"

**Genma**

"So how did the first day with your team go, Shiranui?" Sarutobi Hiruzen asked his subordinate, regarding him from across the desk.

Genma shrugged. "Better than I expected. They are certainly an entertaining bunch."

"Oh?" The Hokage raised an eyebrow. "How so?"

The Jonin grinned. "Those kids were acting like they've been friends for years. You should have seen them."

"Oh really?" The older man looked amused. "Are you sure they weren't already friends before?"

"Positive. I went to watch them when I first found out I had a team. They didn't interact with each other once. The kids I saw today are practically best friends."

"I see. It is good to know that at least one of the new teams is getting along." The Sandaime studied the younger man. "But I'm sure you didn't come here just to chat about your team. What do you really want?"

Genma clicked his senbon against his teeth. "Hokage-sama, I have a question."

"What might that be?"

"Why did you assign me a Genin team?"

The room was silent for a long moment, and then the village leader spoke with forced-sounding innocence. "I am not sure what you mean, Shiranui-san."

His brown eyes narrowed slightly with suspicion. "I get that I am a Jonin and did not specifically say that I was opposed to taking on a team, but as a member of the Hokage's personal guard, I assumed I was automatically taken off the list. Why was I given a team?"

"Actually, that is a rather interesting story."

'Is he…nervous?' Genma wondered. "I've got the time to listen."

The old man sighed. "It was a relatively simple matter of mixed-up paperwork. Some documents were misfiled and in my haste to finish my work, your name ended up on the Genin sensei roster."

Genma stared shamelessly, senbon hanging limply from his lips. "I got stuck with a team because of a paperwork mix-up?"

"Uh, yes, I'm afraid so." The Hokage coughed. "It is understood that once a Jonin takes on a team they must stick with them unless the team is sent back to the Academy or makes Chunin. However, given the circumstances, I will allow you to pull out and then assign a new sensei to Team Six, if you feel that you cannot handle that in addition to your other duties."

There was a challenge in that statement, Genma was sure of it. Would he stick with the sensei-thing, or would he back out and take the, admittedly, simpler route. 'Taking on a Genin team is no easy ride. Is that really what I want?' He thought about the meeting earlier that day. He remembered Miyuki's sassy attitude, Aya's natural cheer and Michi's smart remarks. An image of Juro's shocked face came to mind. He smiled when he thought of him and Miyuki picking on each other, yet neither willing to admit that they cared even though they encouraged each other's goals.

"Give me a little credit, Sandaime-sama," he finally said. "What kind of sensei would I be if I abandoned them just like that?"

The older man smiled knowingly. "Not a very good one, I suspect." He leaned back with a sigh. "Now that that is settled, is there anything else you wanted?"

"No."

"Good." The village leader waved a hand in dismissal. "You are dismissed then."

Genma bowed and left the room. He made sure he was well down the hall before letting his grin spread on his face. 'Maybe that paperwork mix-up wasn't so bad,' he thought. 'Having a Genin team could be kind of fun.' He passed Kakashi coming from the opposite direction. A dark gray eye slid up from the pages of Icha Icha to study the other Jonin. "You seem in a good mood, Shiranui," its owner remarked. "What did you and the Hokage talk about that has you in such a fine state?"

The senbon-chewer waved a hand. "Just something regarding my new Genin team. I heard you got the Uchiha and Uzumaki on yours, how is that working for you?"

Kakashi sighed. "They don't seem like they get along very well, and the girl appears to be nothing more than an air-headed fan girl, but we'll see when I test them tomorrow."

"What are you doing for your preliminary testing?"

"I thought the bell test would be a good one."

Genma actually shuddered a little. The bell test was Kakashi's favorite, and was notorious for failing most of its takers. "I feel bad for your kids."

Kakashi's eye curved to show he was smiling. "They'll survive. Maybe. How are you testing your brats?"

He grinned again. "I guess we'll have to see tomorrow."

A single silver eyebrow rose. "Is that so?" The dark eye looked down at the book again. "Good luck tomorrow then."

"Yeah you too." They parted ways, and Genma quickly exited the Tower. 'I suppose I should think of a proper test, though.' He spent the rest of the walk to his apartment in thought. By the time he got home, he felt that he had a good idea of what he was going to do. 'I can't wait to see their faces.' (Elsewhere in Konoha, three 12-year-olds sneezed simultaneously.) He grinned and went to his fridge to see if there was anything edible in it. A few minutes later he gave up and ordered takeout.

**A/N: Hello again! Sorry it took almost a month for this, but I am a huge perfectionist when it comes to writing and I re-read this like four times before finally deciding it was good enough to publish. I'd like to thank my beta-reader,** **Daisy-Kaminari, for being patient and getting back to me quickly. Your assistance is appreciated!**** Anyway, Genma has been introduced for the first time! I didn't want to make up another OC for a Jonin sensei, and I don't feel like there's enough stories with Genma in them. I read somewhere that he is a member of the Hokage's personal guard, so if you were wondering about that, there's the reason. Yes, it is important, but it won't factor into my story for a while yet.**

**For those who don't know or remember, Shunshin is also known as the Body-Flicker Technique. It allows the user to move distances at a very fast speed. It looks like they are teleporting, but that's not actually the case. Kakashi uses it in the anime a lot, as do other ninjas. It's actually a D-rank jutsu, but I don't see Genin using it in the anime so I figured it's something that would be taught around Chunin-level. **


	4. Chapter 4

**_Disclaimer: I haven't put one of these in yet, but I figured I should. This will be the only time though. I do not own the anime/manga Naruto, nor do I own any of its characters/places/jutsus that I use or mention. I do, however, own Juro, Miyuki, Aya, Michi, that Kira girl that made a cameo earlier on, and any made-up jutsus/characters that may appear in later chapters. Those are MY jutsus/characters that I made up, and if they in any way resemble other people's made-up jutsus/characters, then I swear it was not intentional._**

**'Text like this'**=writing (it'll make sense when you reach these parts)

Chapter Four: Morning, from Naruto, Mulan's Decision, from Mulan, and The Hun's Attack, from Mulan

**Michi**

The Kunming puppy's mouth gaped open in a huge yawn, exposing every one of her tiny white fangs. "Ugh," Aya signed to her, grimacing. "Your breath smells awful."

The dog scowled. "It's not my fault I can't hold a toothbrush. No opposable thumbs and all that."

*Sigh* "Remind me to brush your teeth later."

Michi huffed and nosed at her bowl of octopus scraps. She, Aya and Juro were the only ones at Nato's Takoyaki Stand. They had all arrived early to eat, and were now waiting for the other team members to show up. To be honest, she was surprised the shop was even open this early, but she wasn't complaining much since there was this lovely bowl of scraps to munch on.

"How long do you think it will take for Miyuki and Genma-sensei to get here?" Juro asked, covering up a yawn with his hand.

Michi watched Aya start her hand signs and dutifully interpreted, "I don't know. Sensei will probably be here by eight, but Miyuki-chan could be late. She was rarely on time when we were at the Academy."

"True, but she has ten minutes left. She could prove us wrong."

"I suppose."

"What do you think we'll be doing today?" Michi piped up.

The boy appeared to think it over. "Sensei will probably start us on some more advanced training than we had at the Academy, but nothing too difficult since it's only the first day. If we're lucky, we might start going on missions in like a week or so. I imagine he'd want us to have some training under our belts before taking on missions."

"Oh," Michi relayed, trying to mimic Aya's worried tone. "They wouldn't send us out of the village that soon, would they? I mean, we just graduated!"

"No, nothing like that. Iruka-sensei said that Genin usually get sent on D-rank missions, which are mostly inside the village. Most likely, we won't get sent to other villages until we start doing C-ranks, and that probably won't be for a while."

"Oh, good." The dog privately agreed with her partner. Sure, she was excited to start doing missions, but she didn't think that she or any of the kids was ready to go outside the village yet.

"Ohayo, kiddos," a male tenor voice drawled. Michi and the others swiveled around to face their newly-arrived sensei, senbon stuck between his lips as usual.

"Ohayo sensei," they chorused.

Genma smiled, and then glanced around the stall. "Where's Miyuki?" he asked. "It's almost eight."

"We don't know sensei," Aya replied.

"She hasn't shown up yet," Juro put in.

"Hmm, that's odd."

"Not really," the dog corrected. "She was always late at the Academy. I doubt she would break the habit now."

"I see." The man picked at his teeth with the senbon. "I guess we'll just have wait for her then."

Fifteen minutes went by before Miyuki finally came into view down the street. She walked sedately up to the stand and took a seat at the end of the counter, next to Juro. "Sorry I'm late, guys," she said, sounding thoroughly unapologetic. "Lost track of time."

Michi huffed in disapproval. 'A likely excuse,' she thought.

The Jonin eyed the new arrival dispassionately. "When I said to be on time, I meant it," he told the black-haired girl, who only shrugged and played with her chopsticks, obviously not concerned. "Well, if you're going to be so flippant about it …five laps around the village, now."

All of the kids, and the dog, stared at him in shock. Konoha was rather large; it would take a good hour, possibly more, to run five laps around it, even for a ninja.

"What for?" Miyuki shot back, clearly not keen on the idea. "So I was late, big deal. I'm always late."

"If that's how you feel, ten laps."

"Wha—no! You can't do that!"

"Fifteen laps."

"Nani?!"

"Maybe you should stop talking," Juro growled at her; Michi was impressed by how dog-like he sounded. "You are going to delay our training for today even further if you keep earning more laps."

"It's not my fault he's a got a stick up his-"

"Sensei," Aya cut in before the girl could continue. "Yes, Miyuki-chan made a mistake. I am sure she won't do it again. But it is unfair to make the entire team wait for her to finish her punishment. Could you maybe excuse her just this once?"

Genma sighed and fixed them with a serious stare. "Listen, kids." Everyone sobered up, though Miyuki still looked mutinous. "Lesson one on being a shinobi: Everything that you do affects the entire team. If you are on a mission and one person is late getting to their position, it could throw off everything else. One mistake could get you or a teammate killed. Would you rather get fifteen laps now, or learn the hard way when you are attending your teammate's funeral?"

Nobody answered him. Aya was horrified, Juro looked grim, and Miyuki seemed as if she were ashamed, though she quickly covered it up. Michi herself was sufficiently stunned. 'That example seems a bit extreme…'

"Gomen, sensei," the black-haired girl mumbled. "I won't be late again."

The corner of the man's mouth quirked up and he patted her shoulder. "Good. And I don't mean to scare you guys off of missions, but I'm not going to lie; being a shinobi is dangerous. That's why we train hard to be better, so we don't make as many mistakes. However, there is a difference between being careless and truly not being able to get where you are needed. I am trying to teach you to not be careless." He removed his hand and stuck it in his pocket. "I won't make you do the laps today, but if you are late again and don't have a good reason for it, I will make it double what you would have run today. That goes for all of you. Understood?"

"Hai, sensei," they replied, sufficiently cowed. Michi was seeing the man in a new light. Not that she thought that his laid-back attitude yesterday was an act; it was just that now she knew that he was someone who should be taken seriously. 'He's going to be a good teacher.'

"Alright, we'll get going now. Follow me to the training ground, and make sure to pay attention to what's around you this time." He turned to walk away, and the kids and dog jumped off of their stools to follow.

"I didn't know sensei could be so serious…" Aya signed, face a little wilted from the depressing lecture.

"Being a shinobi can be fun sometimes," Juro mused. "But the reality is that we'll be putting our lives on the line for our village. I suppose it's better that we learn that now."

"Yes," Miyuki said quietly, causing her teammates to look at her curiously. It wasn't like their friend to be so subdued. She kicked at a rock in her path. "Shinobi are expected to be perfect, but the truth is, sometimes people go on missions and don't come back alive. And sometimes, it's because one person did something stupid." She sounded so sad; her teammates exchanged bewildered looks. 'She sounds like she knows from experience,' Michi concluded, studying the pale girl with a new perspective. 'Probably lost a family member. One of the harsh realities of being a ninja and having ninja friends is knowing that you or they might die on missions.' She scowled to herself. 'Kids shouldn't have to worry about stuff like that.'

"Come on," Miyuki said, seeming to shake herself out of her funk. "Genma-sensei is leaving us in the dust again." She hurried ahead and the others were quick to follow.

When Team Six got to their training area, their leader turned around to face the kids. "Today we're going to do some real work," he told them. "Since I haven't seen what kind of abilities you guys have, I am going to assess each of you and your skill levels."

"How are you going to do that, sensei?" Aya asked.

He smiled. "I am going to test you." As he finished his sentence, he disappeared. Stunned, the rest of them glanced around in confusion. 'Where did he go?' Michi wondered. Suddenly, hands grabbed her around the middle. She didn't even have time to yelp when she felt a rushing sensation, and then found herself facing the Genin, tucked up against a muscled side.

"Hey!" she protested, waving her legs futilely. "Put me down, creep!"

She heard Genma's voice above her speaking. "You three are going to have to get Michi back from me."

"Nani?!" the kids and dog cried. The look of shocked horror on Aya's face made her struggle harder. They hadn't been separated since they'd met; Aya must be feeling terribly vulnerable without her. 'This is just cruel!' she yelped in her head.

"Yup, and if you can't by noon, well, I'll be the proud new owner of a talking ninken. Oh, and you'll have to go back to the Academy."

"What?!" they shouted.

"You can't do that!" Miyuki protested. "We've already passed the graduation test!"

"Oh I most certainly can do that. If you can't even rescue one teammate, then you aren't fit to be ninjas. As your sensei, I have the power to fail you and send you back to the Academy." He grinned at their outraged and horrified expressions. "So better get to it kiddos!"

'Oh heck no!' Michi mentally growled with growing fury. "Aya!" she called out desperately as the man ran away into the trees, taking her with him. Watching tear-filled purple eyes disappear from view was one of the worst things she had ever had to experience. 'When we're done here, you are so going down!' she silently snarled at her captor.

**Aya**

What was going on? She had been so sure that Genma-sensei was a nice man, but now he had taken Michi. Why would he do that? Was he really that cruel? Michi was her companion, her best friend. Not only that, but how was she supposed to help her teammates get her back? Michi was her fighting partner and her voice. Without her, she couldn't use most of the jutsu in her attack repertoire and she had no way of communicating with her team. They were going to fail because of her. This was very bad. 'What am I going to do?' Aya thought in despair.

**Miyuki**

'What the hell is he doing?' she asked herself. Genma didn't seem like the type to be so mean as to take a girl's dog from her, or to threaten to send them back to the Academy. Yet here they were, faced with the challenge of getting back said dog before noon or they really were going to have to go back. Miyuki's eyes flicked to her teammates. Juro was staring after their sensei, the only sign of emotion on his face the faint frown and slight creasing of his brow. Aya's eyes were big and watery, and there was so much distress on her face that Miyuki felt horribly angry at her sensei.

"Oh he is so going down," she vowed.

**Juro**

His dark-haired teammate's voice drew his attention to her. Every muscle was straining, as if she was forcing herself to not give chase, and her mouth twisted into a snarl, black eyes promising murder to a certain dog-napper. His own viridian orbs shifted to Aya. Tears streamed down her face in silence, and she sniffled every few seconds. Seeing her cry pulled at something inside of him, inciting his well-repressed temper. She reminded him a lot of Naiya, and he would do almost anything for his sister.

Firming his resolve, he closed his eyes and worked to come up with a plan of action. He called to mind the information he had read in those battle strategy books in the library. 'Step one: What is the objective? Well that's easy enough; we have to get Michi back. Step two: What are the enemy's abilities?'

"Miyuki," he said aloud. Her head twisted to face him, eyes silently asking what he wanted. "How good do you think Genma-sensei is in terms of skill?"

She blinked a bit, as if confused by his question, but quickly recovered and appeared to consider. "My grandmother said that he is a Tokubetsu Jonin, and part of the Hokage's personal guard, so he has to be good. His rank suggests that he is highly proficient in a specific area, but what that might be I am not sure. Why do you want to know?"

Juro mulled over her words, failing to answer what he considered a rather obvious question. "Based on the fact that he always has a senbon in his mouth," he mused, "we can assume that he is good with that kind of weapon. And he is a Jonin, so that automatically makes him a lot better than us." He grew quiet to continue thinking. 'Step three: what do you have to work with? We have the upper hand in numbers, but the gap in skill level sort of diminishes what advantage we have. He probably won't use lethal force on us, but we can go at him with all we have because it most likely will not pose much of a problem for him, which isn't much of an advantage anyway. So, what DO we have?'

"We need to determine where our abilities lie," he informed the others.

"That's as good a place to start as any, I guess," Miyuki agreed, and Aya nodded furiously.

Juro inspected the area warily. "We should move first, in case sensei is listening in from somewhere."

"Hmm, good point." Miyuki pointed towards the middle of the clearing. "Let's head over there. It's well away from the trees so he can't eavesdrop, and we'll easily spot him if he tries sneaking up on us."

"It's better than nothing." 'Her confidence is encouraging, but I doubt we'd be able to spot a Jonin if he was serious about hiding himself.' They moved to the indicated spot and sat down in a triangle.

"Okay, so where do we start?" she asked.

"How about what our strengths are? What were your best classes at the Academy?"

She thought for a second. "Taijutsu was my best, weapons throwing was okay. I got a decent score in ninjutsu too, but all of my other grades were barely average." She shrugged. "I wasn't a brainiac, that's for sure."

"That's a good start." Juro turned to the other girl. "What about you Aya?"

The blonde just shook her head, making motions towards her throat, and it was then that he realized an important fact. "Kuso," he swore. The girls' eyes widened in surprised.

"I don't think we've ever heard you swear, Juro," Miyuki commented, amused. "Something must have gotten you pretty pissed off."

'Besides the fact that a teammate has been captured and our ninja careers hinge on us passing this test?' "We can't communicate with Aya," he pointed out. "Michi was her voice."

The pale girl swore too, and then tapped her chin in thought. "We'll have to improvise." She turned to the blonde. "Can you write what you want to say in the dirt?"

Aya nodded and searched around, grabbing the nearest twig. She wrote out a message as quickly as she could, and the other two bent over to read it. **'Can't write fast.'**

"It will have to do," Juro said. "Tell us what your best classes were."

She wiped out her previous sentence and then scribbled more words**. 'Cooperation, ninjutsu, history.'** She continued writing with a grimace on her face. **'Taijutsu bad, would be better with Michi. Weapons not so good.'**

"So we're almost the opposites of each other," Miyuki noted.

"That's good, it means you balance out," Juro pointed out. "My best classes were history, math, and weapons throwing, so I don't throw off the balance too much."

"So you're probably the smart one of the group huh? It makes sense, what with that big head of yours."

**'Must get Michi!'** The exclamation point was wobbly as Aya started to cry again.

"Hey, don't worry girl." Miyuki patted her hand, forgetting about teasing Juro. "We'll get her back. We wouldn't leave her at Bandana Man's mercy."

"If it's any consolation, he probably won't hurt her," the boy assured, putting his hand over Aya's free one. "He's just testing us." He tilted his head in a thinking pose for a moment, and then nodded to no one in particular. "Okay, I have a plan."

"Well spit it out, boy!" the dark girl demanded.

"Here's what I'm thinking," he said, lowering his voice; couldn't be too careful, after all. "The first thing we'll have to do is split up and find him. I'll go east, Aya can go south, and Miyuki, you take the west. I don't think he'll go north towards the main part of the village, but I'll make a sweep that way just in case. We'll need a signal of some kind so that whoever finds him first can let the others know."

**'How about this?'** Aya scrawled. She put her thumb and finger to her mouth and blew. The sound she made sounded like a bird tweeting.

"That's cool!" the taller female exclaimed. "Where did you learn that?"

The blonde looked proud. **'Kiba-kun.'**

Miyuki raised an eyebrow and smirked devilishly. "Oh, so _Kiba-kun_ showed you eh?"

Aya blushed and made to write in the dirt, obviously to protest the other girl's insinuation, but Juro stopped her and said. "Just ignore her, Aya. Can you show us how you did that?" After a couple minutes, everyone knew the bird whistle. "Okay, so now that we have a signal, we have to prepare for if he doesn't have Michi with him."

"Why wouldn't he?" Miyuki cut in. "He's keeping her away from us, right?"

"Yes, but in strategy games, it is a common practice to create a diversion in order to draw attention away from the player's true goal. He probably figures that we'll come after him, so he'll hide Michi somewhere and then lead us away from her."

"Okay, so what if he doesn't have her?"

"If the person who finds him doesn't see Michi, whistle twice instead of once. Then the person who is closest will whistle back and go help the first while the other continues looking for her."

"That's a good plan, except for one problem." She threw her hands up. "None of us even comes close to his skill level! How are we supposed to stand up to him if he can beat us into the ground without even trying?"

"We aren't trying to defeat him; we just need to distract him long enough to get Michi. We'll use the diversion strategy against him. The advantage in numbers should keep him busy enough."

**'Problem,'** Aya wrote.

"What is it?"

**'No Michi, no jutsu. Don't know many others besides team-ups.'**

"You know the Academy jutsus," Juro pointed out. "You said ninjutsu was one of your best classes?" She nodded. "Then that's all you'll need. Don't let Michi's absence fool you into thinking that you're useless."

Miyuki nodded in agreement. "Sir Nods-a-lot is right. You're a ninja, Blondie; as long as you can still move, you aren't defenseless." Aya seemed to brighten slightly at her friends' encouragement.

"Okay, I think that's enough planning." Juro observed the sun's position. "It appears we only have a couple hours left until noon, so we should get moving. We can come up with appropriate courses of action once we find him." They all stood.

"How far out should we go before turning back?" Miyuki asked.

"I don't think he'll go out too far, so stop after a mile. If we still haven't heard a signal by then, we'll rendezvous back here. Everyone got it?" Nods. "Make sure you stay alert and watch for traps. He's a Jonin, so he'll have more than a few tricks up his sleeve. Team Six, move out."

The three zipped quietly into the trees. 'I hope he's not too far away,' Juro thought to himself. 'We can't waste much time looking for him. We'll need every minute we have in order to get Michi and pass this test.'

**Genma**

The Tokubetsu Jonin had decided to circle back around to the main clearing to observe his Genin. He had been intrigued to see Juro stepping up as leader, but what surprised him the most was how the others automatically listened to him, even confrontational Miyuki. 'Was my assumption wrong? Perhaps Miyuki is just naturally bossy and Juro is the true leader of this group. I will have to keep an eye out to be sure.'

Their decision to move away from the trees was smart, seeing as he actually had been listening in. He hadn't been able to tell what they were discussing after that, but he had caught some of what Aya was writing in the dirt. 'They got around the communication problem pretty quickly,' he noted. 'Cooperation, ninjutsu and history, huh? They must be talking about what classes they were good and bad in. Taking stock of strengths and weaknesses is a good idea, except now I know some of Aya's too. It's a shame I can't hear what the others' said.'

He watched them talk for a few more minutes, chuckling to himself when they were whistling, apparently practicing some sort of signal. Then he heard the words "Move out," and they split up and headed into the forest. 'Looks like they're ready. Time for me to play my part.' He melted silently into the shadows.

**Miyuki**

'Kami-sama, this is boring!' Miyuki cried in her head. She had been searching for almost half an hour and had yet to come across anything more exciting than a wasp's nest and two fighting squirrels. 'I almost wish Genma-sensei would pop out and attack me, just so I wasn't so bored.' She sighed and knelt down to analyze the forest floor, calling up what little she remembered from the Academy's tracking lessons. 'There isn't even any signs that someone came this way. What a waste of time!' She got up and continued forward. 'I wonder if Juro and Aya are having more fun with this test than I am.'

A sharp bird's whistle suddenly pierced the air, followed immediately by a second. 'The signal! And two whistles means Michi isn't with Genma. Juro was right. I hope the teme doesn't try to rub it in.' She quickly analyzed her position. 'That whistle wasn't close, and it came from the south so it has to be Aya. Does that mean Juro's closer?' She was moving a hand towards her mouth when another whistle, farther from her but nearer to the first signal, rang out. 'That must be him. He's definitely closer than I am.' She sighed, blowing some hair out of her face. 'Which means I have to keep looking for the mutt.' She contemplated just going to help the others anyway. Then she remembered that the key to passing was to retrieve Michi, so she decided to just stick to the plan. She started walking again, kicking at a twig in her way. 'This sucks!'

Something brushed against her ankle and she heard a faint swishing sound from above. She instinctively dove left, just in time to avoid the large net that would have engulfed her. 'A trap? But isn't Genma-sensei way to the south?' She heard another faint sound, this time a twang. She ducked and rolled, and wire strings whisked over her head to wrap themselves around the tree she had been using as cover. 'Kuso! Where are they coming from?' More noises signaled more traps. Miyuki spent the next several minutes twisting, rolling, diving and jumping to avoid flying kunai, ropes, logs and countless nets. 'Where does sensei keep all of this stuff? It's not like he was carrying a bag with him!' She finally got to take a breather in the branches of a very large oak tree. 'Kami-sama, if I have to take much more of this I won't have the energy to make it back to the training ground!' She let out a deep breath and glanced up, then did a double take. 'Wait a sec, is that what I think it is?'

**Juro **

He had been about to head back to the main clearing when he heard two piercing bird whistles from the south. 'Aya! And she's close!' He whistled back quickly, knowing that Miyuki was probably farther away than him. 'Genma-sensei will most likely figure out that the whistles are signals, but I hope he doesn't get to Aya before I do. And that Miyuki actually keeps looking for Michi instead of coming to help too.'

A few minutes later, Juro heard a rustle and saw a flash of purple in a tree ahead. Remembering that Aya's favorite hobby was climbing trees, he made his way up until he was crouching next to her on the branch. Blonde hair whipped around as she started in surprise, but she calmed upon seeing him. She pointed directly in front of them, and he saw their sensei sitting against a stump in a small clearing, eyes closed. 'He's very relaxed for someone who is being pursued,' the boy thought. 'But then, he probably already knows that we're here.' He felt a tug on his t-shirt sleeve, and he looked down to see Aya motioning with her hand. She procured a kunai from her pouch and carved into the wood, **'No movement.'** He nodded and used his own kunai to write back, **'How did you find?'**

**'Followed trail. Broken plants and scuffed dirt.'**

'So he left us a trail to follow on purpose,' he thought to himself. 'No experienced Jonin would be careless enough to leave signs of travel.' He carved some more. **'Plan. You right, I left. Whistle when ready. Count to three. Come out same time.'**

**'Won't he see?'** she questioned.

**'Already knows.'** She seemed shocked, but then shook it off and nodded her understanding. They split up. He got into position and gave the signal. A moment later, he heard an answering one. 'One, two, THREE!' He jumped out into the open, half-crouching and brandishing his kunai, and saw Aya do the same across from him.

The Jonin opened his eyes and regarded them in a bored manner. "Well, I see you finally decided to join me." He stood slowly and stretched, then put his hands in his pockets. "Only two of you? Where's the obnoxious one?"

"She'll be here soon," Juro lied smoothly. "Then we'll have an even greater numbers advantage." Despite his words, he took Miyuki's continued absence as a good sign; she may not be here to back them up, but hopefully she was close to finding Michi.

"Oh Juro, don't you know it's not nice to lie?" His sensei grinned and winked. The boy didn't really believe he would be fooled, but they were only trying to stall after all.

"I'm not lying."

"You two were up there long enough to give her time to arrive."

"She's slow."

Genma actually chuckled. "Is she now? I wonder what she would say to that." He beckoned with a hand. "Come on then, show me what you've got."

**Michi**

She glared with all of the strength she could muster in her small, fluffy body. "What?" she snapped. Miyuki, that damned baka, was staring up at her and laughing.

"Hahahaha, he tied you upside down!" she chortled.

Michi glared harder. "Yes, I know you like to point out the obvious, but is now really the time?"

"Gomen, gomen. I'm just not used to seeing you trussed up like a turkey."

"Just get me down!"

Miyuki grinned and procured a kunai. "As you wish," she said and pulled her arm back to throw.

"No-no-no, not like tha-" *Swish* *SNAP* "AAAAAARRGH!"

*A short minute later*

"You. Are. Insane," Michi snarled, shaking leaves and bark out of her fur.

"What? Can't handle a little fall?" Miyuki teased.

"A little fall? I was twenty feet up!"

"I caught you, didn't I?"

"THAT IS NOT THE POINT!"

"Alright, chill." Miyuki raised her hands up in a placating gesture. "I'm sorry I scared you, it won't happen again. Better?"

"It'll do," the dog growled. She scratched behind her ear and then looked around. "Where are Aya and Juro?"

"We split up. The plan was to find Genma-sensei and then two would distract him while the other person went to find you." She sighed. "Obviously, I drew the short straw."

The puppy looked at her incredulously. "You mean you WANTED to go up against a Jonin-level opponent with years of experience who could probably kick your butt without even trying?"

The girl raised an eyebrow. "It would be more exciting than this." She shrugged in response to the animal's look. "I never said I was the smart one."

"Whatever, I suppose it doesn't matter right now. We should go find the others; they won't last long against Genma."

"For once, I agree with you, mutt."

"Please don't call me that."

"You wish, mutt."

As they touched the ground, both heard a faint twang. They shared a look. "Uh oh," they said in unison, and then found themselves tumbling into the air.

**Genma**

It was amazing how long these two kids had lasted against him. True, he wasn't going all out, not by a long shot. But he WAS a Jonin, and for two Genin fresh out of the Academy to still be standing after almost half an hour of hard fighting on their parts was nothing short of impressive. This wasn't to say that they were in good shape though. Juro's shoulders were sagging and he had several cuts and bruises, while Aya was clutching her side where one of his kicks had nailed her in the ribs. Neither of them had wavered in their resolve to continue fighting, though. 'Their dedication to their teammate is incredible,' he observed. 'Or maybe they just really don't want to go back to the Academy.'

"You know, it's almost noon," he pointed out, not even close to winded. "Why don't you just give up while you still have energy left to make it back to the training ground?"

Juro stood a little straighter and spoke defiantly, though clearly out of breath. "We won't give up until Miyuki is safely returned. No one who calls themselves a shinobi would ever abandon a teammate in need." Aya nodded in agreement, though she too was struggling to draw air.

'Kakashi would like these kids. He's all about not abandoning comrades.' "I can respect that, but you are clearly outmatched and out of breath. Surely you know it's only a matter of time before this is over."

"We may be at a disadvantage," the boy told him. "But we still won't give up."

"Alright then. Give me your best shot."

Juro settled into a fighting stance, a kunai clasped in each hand. 'He's not holding them correctly,' Genma noted with interest. 'Most would hold them point down; he has them point up. That might work if he was holding longer blades, but it just isn't effective with kunai. Hm, I wonder.'

"Aya," the boy spoke. "Maneuver Six." She shot him a confused glance, but then seemed to realize something and gave an affirmative nod. 'Hm, that was odd. I wonder what she was confused about.'

They rushed him then, the male approaching head on while the girl tried to flank him on his right. 'I'll admit their teamwork is impressive, but Maneuver Six isn't the best tactic to use in this situation. Oh well, their loss.' He made to dodge left, away from Aya, while simultaneously reaching out to grab Juro's leading arm. To his surprise, the boy dropped his kunai and twisted to his left, seizing the girl's outstretched hand and then swinging her around and up feet-first. Genma barely escaped getting nailed in the head, though the blonde struck out at the last moment with her foot and grazed his shoulder. 'That definitely wasn't Maneuver Six,' he thought, rubbing the area. 'That's what I get for underestimating these kids.'

Moving with astonishing speed, he got behind the still-rotating boy. Caught off guard, Juro was unable to react to Genma's attack. The fist hit him on the shoulder and sent him crashing into a tree. It also forced him to let go of Aya, who went sailing towards another tree. She, however, managed to flip and land feet-first against the trunk, bending her knees to absorb the shock. Her sandals slipped on the bark, though, and she dropped to the ground, too exhausted to do much else. She cast a worried look towards Juro, who was shaking his head as if in a daze and trying to raise himself into a sitting position. 'Hm,' Genma mused, 'maybe I punched him a little too hard.'

"Have you had enough?" he asked the boy, striding over to look down at him. Juro blinked and, to his surprise, smiled, though he swayed a bit where he sat.

"No need to continue anyway," he stated. "Look behind you."

Genma raised an eyebrow but turned anyway, and was greeted by the sight of a not-tied-up Michi dashing over to check on Aya, while a scratched and mud-splattered Miyuki approached the boy on the ground. She touched a hand to the back of his head, and it came away red with blood.

"You baka!" she yelled, directing a glare at her sensei. "What did you do to him?"

"Nothing he wasn't asking for," the man replied, amused. He watched as the girl forced herself to calm down and began to examine her teammate, pulling at his eyelids and checking his pulse.

"Juro," she commanded. "How many fingers am I holding up?" She extended her index and middle digits.

The boy blinked and squinted at her hand, then answered in a slurred voice, "Four, I think. It keeps changing. Are you using a Genjutsu?"

"He probably has a concussion," Genma concluded.

She shot another glare at him. "Ya think sensei?" She helped the boy to his feet, him leaning heavily on her. "So did we pass this test or what?"

"I'll tell you guys tomorrow," he replied, watching as Aya got slowly to her feet and hobbled over to join them. "Juro and Aya-chan could use a trip to the hospital. Here." He extended both arms. "I'll take him."

"I don't know if I trust you," Miyuki snapped back. "You're the one who put him in this state to begin with."

"I'm fine, guys, really," Juro mumbled, head bobbing as he fought unconsciousness.

"Oh don't give me that crap," she scolded him. "You're practically asleep as it is!"

Genma chuckled. "I promise, Miyuki-chan, I won't harm him any more than I already have. Besides, Aya-chan looks like she could use a lift too, and she's lighter than he is."

She studied him distrustfully for a moment, and then reluctantly let him lift the boy into his arms. "Come on, Blondie, hop on," she said, jerking a thumb at her back. Aya limped over and climbed up, shifting her arms so she wasn't choking her teammate.

"Okay, are we ready to go?" Genma asked.

Miyuki blew her bangs away from her face. "Yeah, let's get a move on. Blondie may be light, but I'm still tired from dodging all your stupid traps."

The man grinned. "Then they did their job well. Alright, let's get going." They traveled mostly in silence, the only sounds being Genma clicking his senbon on his teeth and Miyuki panting.

They were nearly to the hospital when he heard Michi speak. "Sensei, is Juro-kun going to be okay?" He turned to look at his team's females and saw that even though Michi had spoken, Aya was the one looking at him expectantly.

He gave her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "Of course, Aya-chan. A concussion will probably keep him in the hospital for a day, but it won't kill him." His answer seemed to comfort her, because she nodded and then leaned her chin on Miyuki's shoulder.

A soft moan made Genma glance down at Juro, who winced with each step his carrier took. 'Yup, definitely hit him too hard.' He smiled to himself, not feeling too guilty. 'He's tough though. He'll be fine.'

**Miyuki**

Onyx orbs eyed the tall grinning male with growing apprehension, and a little disgust. "Do you think that maybe sensei had just a bit too much fun today?" she whispered to the small girl on her back. Aya grimaced and nodded.

"Yeah, me too," Miyuki agreed. "He's crazy."

**A/N: Hello, good people! So, finally some action this chapter. It's the first fight scene, and I know it isn't super-action-packed, but then, it's just their Genin test so it's not really supposed to be. :P But hopefully it was easy to follow! It's also the first time we see things from Michi's point of view. I've always kind of figured that ninken in the Naruto-verse tend to think more like humans, even if they can't talk (like Akamaru). If you like her point of view, or even if you don't, feel free to say so. It's nice to get feedback on the characters.**

**It occurred to me just this chapter that some (or most) people might not know what takoyaki is. Um, sorry about that. It's a Japanese food concluding of fried dough balls filled with octopus and onion and various seasonings. It's meant more as a snack food, but hey, Naruto eats ramen for almost every meal and that's not exactly a healthy food. I figured Team Six can eat what they want, and besides, it's not like they are going out to eat every day. They have healthy, balanced meals at home too.**

**Just one more thing, I promise. Maneuver Six isn't an actual battle maneuver, that I know of. If it so happens that it is, then I am not aware of it. **


End file.
